Today is International Women's Day- which isn't a widely celebrated holiday back home Here, that's hardly imaginable. Schools and businesses are closed. Women greet each other on the street with declarations of "Congratulations on our holiday". The town of Sisian has decorated it's bridge in honor of the day.
It's also interesting to me to watch the different ways in which the holiday is observed. Here in Sisian, it's something akin to an expanded version of Mother's Day back home. Women are given cards, chocolate, or flowers, and pastel colors seem to rule the decorating schemes. In Yerevan, it's treated more like a Cancer Awareness Day, with movie screenings and gathering which explore the challenges faced by women in Armenian society today... plus flowers and chocolate, because who doesn't love an excuse to get chocolate?
I was a little bit torn- on the one hand, the simple approach to the holiday taken in Sisian does give the women here joy, and there's not a whole lot of opportunity or impetus for social change the way there is in the big city, so why not just enjoy it? On the other hand, I feel like true gender equality will play an important part in this country's development, and the public awareness events in Yerevan contribute to that cause.
In the end, I skipped most of the day's festivities in favor of going on a hike- it was beautiful weather, and I had been stuck inside for waayy too long. It was also the first time I've been alone for more than 20 minutes at a time since we arrived in country. It was a good day.
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